This small commercial building was built for William Heywood, son of Berkeley pioneer Zimri Brewer Heywood. The upstairs was used as the architectural offices of James W. Plachek, designer of many buildings in downtown Berkeley, including the Berkeley Public Library. The elaborate glazed terra-cotta façade with double rope molding and Gothic wall tracery was produced by Gladding, McBean & Co., of Lincoln, California, whose terra-cotta also decorated Oakland’s Paramount theater and other spectacular Beaux Arts and Art Deco buildings. Glazed terra-cotta on commercial buildings was considered fire resistant and conveyed a sense of elegance and high style. The building’s ground floor was renovated and partially restored in 1994.